Global COVID-19 death toll rises to 328,115; total cases reach 4.996 million

The global death toll due to coronavirus (COVID-19) has gone up to 328,115, according to the dashboard maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the pandemic.

Data posted by the CSSE on its website today showed that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide had gone past 4.996 million.

The United States continued to be the worst-hit country with more than 1.551 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 93,431 deaths so far.

Within the US, New York state accounted for 28,636 deaths, followed by 10,749 deaths in New Jersey, 6,066 in Massachusetts and 5,060 in Michigan.

After the US, the United Kingdom has recorded the most number of deaths at 35,786 with a total of 249,619 cases of infection so far -- the fourth highest.

With a spike in the number of cases in recent days, Russia has emerged as the country with the second highest case load after the US at 3,08,705, though the number of deaths there is comparitively lower at 2,972.

Brazil has the third highest case load at 291,579 with 18,859 deaths, the sixth highest number among all countries.

Italy has reported the third highest number of deaths at 32,330 with 227,364 cases in all so far, followed by France with 28,135 deaths and 181,700 cases and Spain with 27,888 deaths and 232,555 cases.

Among other European countries, Belgium has recorded 9,150 deaths so far, Germany 8,144, the Netherlands 5,767 and Sweden 3,831.